A wafer-level device fabrication process forms standing structures around emitting areas of multiple VCSELs. The standing structures can be shaped to hold ball lenses or other optical elements for respective VCSELs or can include platforms on which optical elements are formed. Ball lenses that are attached to the standing structures either during chip-level or wafer-level processes fit into the standing structures and are automatically aligned. wafer level fabrication of optical elements can align the optical elements with accuracies associated with photolithographic processes. The optical elements can be formed using a molding or replication process, a printing method, or surface tension during a reflow of lithographically formed regions.
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14. A process comprising:
fabricating a plurality of laser diodes on a first wafer;
forming standing structures on the first wafer; and
fabricating lenses overlying the standing structures, wherein fabricating the lenses comprises:
depositing a layer of lens material; and
applying a mold to the layer to replicate a surface of the mold on the layer.
1. A process comprising:
fabricating a plurality of laser diodes on a wafer;
forming standing structures on the wafer by depositing a layer of material and then patterning the layer, wherein the standing structures define a plurality of cavities centered on respective emitting areas of the laser diodes, where in the material is selected from the group consisting of polyimide, epoxy, and cyclotene; and
attaching lenses to the standing structures, wherein each of the lenses resides at least partially in a corresponding one of the cavities.
10. A process comprising:
fabricating a plurality of laser diodes on a first wafer;
forming standing structures on the first wafer, wherein forming the standing structures comprises:
forming a first layer on the first wafer, wherein the first layer comprises a plurality of openings;
depositing a second layer that fills the openings in the first layer and overlies a top surface of the first layer; and
removing the first layer to leave portions of the second layer that form the standing structures; and
fabricating lenses overlying the standing structures.
5. A process comprising:
fabricating a plurality of laser diodes on a wafer;
forming standing structures on the wafer, wherein the standing structures define a plurality of cavities centered on respective emitting areas of the laser diodes; and
attaching lenses to the standing structures, wherein each of the lenses resides at least partially in a corresponding one of the cavities, wherein attaching the lenses comprises:
applying an adhesive to the standing structures, wherein applying the adhesive filling the cavities; and
setting the lenses on the standing structures.
9. A process comprising:
fabricating a plurality of laser diodes on a first wafer;
forming standing structures on the first wafer, wherein each standing structure comprises:
a lens support region overlying an emitting area of a corresponding one of the laser diodes; and
a standoff that supports the lens support region and is on the first wafer adjacent to the emitting area; and
fabricating lenses overlying the standing structures, wherein forming the standing structures comprises:
fabricating the standoff on the first wafer; and attaching a second wafer to top surfaces of the standoffs, wherein the lenses are fabricated on areas of the second wafer corresponding to the support regions.
2. The process of
6. The process of
setting the lenses on the standing structures; and
heating the standing structures to a temperature at which material in the standing structures adheres to the lenses.
7. The process of
11. The process of
a lens support region overlying an emitting area of a corresponding one of the laser diodes; and
a standoff that supports the lens support region and is on the first wafer adjacent to the emitting area.
13. The process of
15. The process of
16. The process of
18. The process of
19. The process of
forming regions of lens material on surfaces overlying emitting areas of the laser diodes; and
heating regions to a temperature at which surface tension of the lens material creates a curved surface.
20. The process of
21. The process of
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A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) is a semiconductor laser diode that can be fabricated using well-known wafer processing techniques. Conventionally, such techniques fabricate a larger number of VCSELs on a single wafer. The wafer is then sawn, scribed, or otherwise divided into a dice, with each die containing at least one VCSEL and possibly other integrated circuitry that was formed on the wafer. The dice are then packaged for use.
A common use of a VCSEL is in generation of an optical signal for transmission on an optical fiber. In this application, the optical signal from the VCSEL generally enters the optical fiber via an optical coupler or port. For efficient coupling of the optical energy from the VCSEL into the optical fiber, the VCSEL and the optical fiber must be aligned so that the beam intensity profile of the VCSEL lies primarily on the core of the optical fiber. An optical system between the VCSEL and the optical fiber can be used to improve the coupling efficiency and increase alignment tolerance of the VCSEL and the optical fiber. In particular, a common optical system for such use includes one or multiple optical elements that focuses and/or manipulate the profile of the light beam on the end of the optical fiber. In the following discussion, lens refers to any optical element that can manipulate the profile of a light beam and can be a refractive or diffractive element.
Forming a lens directly on the emitting area of the VCSEL generally fails to achieve adequate optical performance because it is difficult to make a lens with a short enough focal length to properly focus or collimate the beam. Accordingly, air gaps or separations between the lens and light emitting area of the VCSEL are normally required for processing the optical signal. Further, lens material on an active region of the VCSEL can compromise the reliability of the VCSEL by introducing interface stress. The lens material on the front facet of a VCSEL may also change the reflectivity of the front mirror of the VCSEL, requiring a redesign of the VCSEL.
Making the lenses part of the package or assembly containing the VCSEL allows use of a longer focal length lens element with an air gap. However, a drawback of optical packages or assemblies employing a lens between the VCSEL and the fiber is the need to align the VCSEL, the lens, and the optical fiber. Aligning a lens to a VCSEL on a die generally requires precision instruments and can be a time consuming and therefore expensive process. Structures and methods that reduce the cost associated with combining a VCSEL with a lens are thus sought.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a wafer-level device fabrication process forms standing structures on multiple VCSEL on a wafer. The standing structures can be shaped to hold ball lenses or other optical elements for respective VCSELs and can be aligned to the precision achieved during wafer processing. For example, a lithographic process can form the standing structure of a polymer material such as photoresist, an insulating material, a semiconductor material, or a metal. Ball lenses can be set on the standing structures during either the chip level packaging process or a wafer level process. An adhesive can be applied to a standing structure before or after the ball lens is set on the standing structure. The adhesive can then be cured.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a wafer-level device fabrication process forms structures that include lenses on the wafer. Wafer level processes thus precisely align the lenses with laser diodes. One wafer-level process attaches a lens wafer to standing structures or standoffs on a laser wafer. Refractive or diffractive lenses can be formed on the lens wafer before or after bonding of the lens wafer to the laser wafer. Another wafer level process forms standoff structures overlying emitting areas of laser diodes and forms refractive or diffractive lenses on the standoff structures. Air gaps can be provided under the lenses using a sacrificial layer. In particular, the sacrificial layer can be formed over the emitting areas of the laser diodes and then removed after the lenses are formed to create gaps between the laser diodes and the overlying lenses. The lenses can be formed on a laser wafer using a variety of techniques including but not limited to a molding or replication process, printing methods, and surface tension during liquefaction of lithographically formed regions.
One specific embodiment of the invention is a device including: a die containing a laser diode; a standing structure attached to the die and surrounding an emitting area through which a beam from the laser diode emerges from the die; and a ball lens attached to the standing structure and residing at least partially within a cavity defined by the standing structure.
Another embodiment of the invention is a device including: a substrate containing a laser diode; a standing structure attached to the substrate; and a lens formed on the standing structure and overlying an emitting area through which a beam from the laser diode emerges from the substrate. The substrate can be either a wafer before division into separate dice, or a die after separation.
Still another embodiment of the invention is a process for fabricating a laser diode with a lens. The process includes: fabricating a plurality of laser diodes on a wafer; forming standing structures on the wafer, wherein the standing structures define a plurality of cavities centered on respective emitting areas of the laser diodes; and attaching lenses to the standing structures. Each of the lenses resides at least partially in a corresponding one of the cavities and is thus self aligned to a corresponding laser diode.
A process in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention includes: fabricating a plurality of laser diodes on a wafer; forming standing structures on the wafer; and fabricating lenses overlying the standing structures.
Use of the same reference symbols in different figures indicates similar or identical items.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, wafer level processes for fabrication of semiconductor laser diodes can create structures for alignment of optical elements. The optical elements can be attached to or formed over individual laser diodes at the wafer level or at the die level.
Each laser diode 110 includes bond pads 112 for electrical connections and a light emitting area 114 through which a light beam emerges. Scribe lanes 102 separate laser diodes 110 and permit sawing, scribing, or other processing that cuts wafer 100 into individual dice without damaging the laser diodes 110.
Standing structures 120A, 120B, 120C, and 120D (generically referred to herein as structures 120) surround respective light emitting areas 114 of each of the laser diodes 110 for which a lens will be provided. Standing structures 120A, 120B, 120C, and 120D differ from each other in
Standing structure 120A in
Standing structures 120B, 120C, and 120D are similar to standing structure 120A but have one or more openings 122 formed through the respective ring walls. Openings 122 can help control air/adhesive flow in embodiments where an adhesive attaches lenses to structures 120. In particular, one attachment process coats an optically transparent adhesive on a structure 120 before setting a ball lens on the structure 120. For best optical performance, non-uniformities such as irregular air-adhesive interfaces should be excluded from optical path of the laser beam. Accordingly, a cavity formed in structure 120 between the ball lens and laser diode 110 is preferably filled with air or with transparent adhesive, and gas bubbles in the adhesive should be avoided where the adhesive is in the optical path. Openings 122 facilitate filling the cavity in structure 120 with adhesive without trapping air or gas bubbles. An adhesive such as silicone, which does not introduce significant interface stress, is preferred in embodiments where the adhesive filling the cavity is directly on an active surface of a laser diode 110.
In an alternative attachment process that provides an air gap between laser 110 and the lens, openings 122 prevent thermal expansion of trapped gas from disrupting the attachment of the lens. The size and number of openings 122 in structures 120 can be selected as best suited for the particular attachment process employed.
The illustrated standing structures 120 as described above are primarily ring shaped, and when a ball lens is set on such structure 120, the seating of the ball lens provides automatic alignment of the ball lens to the underlying laser diode 110. Other geometries for a standing structure 120 could also provide automatic alignment when used with a ball lens or another optical element that is shaped to fit in an opening that the standing structure 120 creates. For example, three or more posts of equal height that are equal distance from the light emitting area 114 of a laser diode 110 can hold a ball lens in proper alignment, and such posts can have a variety of shapes, including but not limited to the sections of rings shown in
As noted above, standing structures 120 can be formed from a variety of materials, including polymers, metals, and insulators. In an embodiment of the invention using a polymer such as a photoresist, the fabrication of standing structures 120 begins spinning a layer of photoresist such as SU-8 onto a wafer on which laser diodes 110 have been fabricated. The thickness of the photoresist layer is selected according to the desired height of standing structures 120 and would be about 20 to 60 μm for an exemplary embodiment of the invention. A conventional photolithographic process can then expose the photoresist layer to a light pattern of the appropriate wavelength and then develop the photoresist to leave photoresist regions that form standing structures 120. The photoresist regions can be baked or otherwise hardened to improve the durability of standing structure 120 if desired.
Alternative embodiments for standing structures 120 can contain other materials other than polymers. In particular, a metal standing structure 120 can be formed using an electroplating process. For such a process, a seed coating including adhesion layer of chromium and a top layer of gold can be deposited on wafer 100. A photoresist mold layer then formed on the seed layer includes openings that expose the seed layer in the areas corresponding to standing structure 120. An electroplating process can then plate the exposed areas with a metal such as nickel to a desired thickness, e.g., between 20 and 60 μm. The photoresist layer and unplated portions of the seed layer are then removed to leave metal standing structures 120.
Ball lens 230 rests on standing structure 120, and can be glued in place with an adhesive such as silicone. As mentioned above, an optically transparent adhesive can fill the cavity between ball lens 230 and the underlying laser diode. Alternatively, adhesive (not shown) can surround ball lens 230 and/or cap standing structure 120 leaving an air gap between ball lens 230 and the underlying laser diode.
Another alternative attachment process coats wafer 100 first with polyimide and then with a positive resist such as Microposit S1822 manufactured by Shipley. The polyimide layer can thus be non-photoimageable. A lithographic process then patterns the photoresist layer to form a mask and patterns the polyimide using the photoresist mask. The resulting standing structure 120 includes a polyimide base capped with photoresist. Ball lens 230 is then placed into the standing structure 120 either before or after wafer 100 is cut into dice, and the photoresist remaining atop the polyimide is heated to reflow and permanently retain or attach ball lens 230 in standing structure 120.
The above-described processes for attaching ball lenses 230 to corresponding standing structures 120 can generally be performed at either the wafer level or the die level. When adhesive is applied, a die level attachment process after wire bonding may be preferred to prevent excess adhesive from interfering with the wire bonding. When reflow of photoresist attaches the lenses, a wafer level process may be preferred unless the attached lenses will interfere with the die separation or wire bonding processes.
The lithographic process that defines the shape and location of standing structures 120 aligns the standing structures 120 to laser diodes 110, and the fit of ball lens 230 in the cavity in standing structure 120 aligns ball lens 230 to standing structure 120. Further, the spherical symmetry of a ball lens 230 avoids the need to control the orientation of ball lens 230. The attachment process is thus relatively simple and inexpensive and provides a high precision alignment (e.g., to with a tolerance less than about 4 μm).
Optical system 310 includes a VCSEL die 210 attached to a header 312. Header 312 can be a printed circuit board or a mechanical support structure. Bond wires or other structures (not shown) can electrically connect VCSEL die 210 to header 310 or other circuitry (not shown). An adhesive 240 attaches a ball lens 230 on a standing structure 120 that surrounds the emitting area of a laser diode on die 210. The output beam from the laser diode generally diverges at an angle that is characteristic of the laser diode. Ball lens 230 decreases the divergence of the output beam and preferably has optical properties (e.g., a focal length) such that the output beam becomes collimated. The separation of ball lens 230 and the light emitting area of the laser diode is controlled to effect either a collimated beam or a suitable focusing distance.
In the illustrated embodiment, optical port 320 includes optical elements such as a glass plate 322 on which a converging lens 324 is formed, e.g., by reflow of a polymer region, inkjet printing, or molding. Converging lens 324 focuses the collimated beam from ball lens 323 onto the end of optical fiber 316. Alternatively, glass 322 and lens 324 can be eliminated, and ball lens 230 can focus the light beam onto fiber 326.
The reduced (or ideally eliminated) divergence from source 310 relaxes the alignment tolerances in system 300. In particular, efficient coupling of the optical energy from source 310 can be achieved for a broader range of separations between source 310 and port 320.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, lenses can be formed overlying a laser diode rather than being separately formed and attached to the laser wafer. Formation of the lenses overlying the wafer laser can use a variety of lens forming techniques such as a molding or replication process, a printing method, and surface tension during a reflow of lithographically formed regions. Such lenses generally work best if air gaps or other separations are between the laser diodes and the respective lenses.
A manufacturing process for device 460 can begin with fabrication of a wafer 400 containing multiple laser diodes 410 as illustrated in
A photolithographic process can form standoffs 430 on wafer 400 as shown in
A lens wafer 440 is bonded to the tops of standoffs 430 as shown in
Lenses 450 are formed on lens wafer 440 either before or after bonding lens wafer 440 to standoffs 430. If lenses 450 are formed on lens wafer 440 before wafer bonding, an aligned wafer bonding process is required to align lenses 450 on lens wafer 440 to the respective laser diodes 410 on laser wafer 400.
A variety of techniques can be used to fabricate lenses 450 on lens wafer 440. One technique forms lenses 450 by lithographically patterning a photoresist layer to create regions of photoresist overlying respective laser diodes 410 and heating the photoresist regions until the regions melt sufficiently that surface tension creates a curved lens surface. Alternatively, printing process (e.g., ink jet printing) or a molding process (e.g., as described by M. Gale, “Replicated Diffractive Optics and Micro-Optics”, Optics & Photonics News, August 2003) could form lenses 450 on lens wafer 440. Diffractive lenses can also be formed by methods described by C. David “Fabrication Of Stair-Case Profiles With High Aspect Ratios For Blazed Diffractive Optical Elements” Microelectronic Engineering 53 (2000) 677-680 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,105.
Standoffs 430 in addition to creating air gaps between lasers 410 and respective lenses 450 also provides space that permits sawing lens wafer 440 along scribe lanes 442 and sawing laser wafer 410 along scribe lanes 402. Bonding pads 420 on the individual devices 460 thus separated as illustrated in
Standoffs 530 of
A lens layer 640 of a material such as a UV curable epoxy is deposited to fill openings 632 in sacrificial layer 630 and further to have a thickness above sacrificial layer 630 that is sufficient for a molding process, e.g., about 200 μm thick. The lens layer is patterned as shown in
A replication process can then mold the top surface of lens layer 640 as required to form refractive or diffractive lenses. As shown in
A selective etch can remove sacrificial layer 630 and leave lens layer 640 including standoffs 642 and lens bodies 644 as shown in
A lens formation process forms lenses 750 on top of lens support layer 740 as shown in
Sacrificial layer 630 is removed as shown in
After removal of sacrificial layer 630, lenses 855 can be formed on lens support areas 844 by heating mask 850 to a temperature at which regions of mask 850 liquefy. Surface tension then creates a convex lens contour that remains after mask 850 cools.
Although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is only an example of the invention's application and should not be taken as a limitation. In particular, beam sources manufactured using any of the methods of
Wang, Tak Kui, Grot, Annette C., Hu, Frank Z.-Y.
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